Road guard



NOV. 24, 1942. F B M 2,303,252

ROAD GUARD Filed May 5, 1941' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ALEXA NDEBFBL ESSING) Patented Nov. 24, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,303,252 itOAD GUARD Alexander F. Blessing, near Carlisle, Pa.

Application May: 3, 1941, Serial No. 391,793

4 Claims.

This invention relates to road guard structures of the type in which posts carry cables or other guard rails at the side of a roadway.

It is an object of the invention to provide a spring mounting, for guard rails, of a form that is carried by and cooperates with a post of particular shape to form a firm connection of the post and rail and that yieldingly resists impacts of moving vehicles that come into contact with the structure, so that damage to both vehicles and structure is lessened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail-to-post connection that retains the rail relatively close to the post and at the same time can yield enough to take up shocks resulting from vehicle impacts.

When considered with the description herein, characteristics of the invention are apparent in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein adaptations of the invention are disclosed.

Like reference-characters refer to corresponding parts in the views of the drawings, of which- Fig. 1 is an elevation of a road-guard structure formed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view of a cable-retaining pin;

Figs. 6 and 7 are plan views of forms of spring mountings;

Fig. 8 is a top view of a post.

Cables 9 or comparable guard rails are carried by upstanding posts ll! of particular shape to function in cooperation with mountings of forms herein disclosed to connect the cables with the posts.

The posts may be made of sheet metal sufiiciently thick and strong for the purpose rolled or otherwise formed to shape. They are angular in cross-section, as substantially V-shape. A

post includes sides I I that flare backwardly from a front apex i2. The apex may be rounded as shown in Fig. 8 or somewhat flat as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. longitudinal strengthening ribs l3 by lapping the metal thereof inwardly and backwardly. Although sheet metal posts of the character stated now are considered to be preferable, solid posts of that cross section can be used with rail mountings such as disclosed herein.

Each of the posts may be indented to aiford markings it below which a band lb of distinctive color may be painted to indicate the height above ground they normally should extend.

The sides may be formed with The cables are connected to a post by a mounting member I 6. This member is of strong spring sheet metal of cross section similar to that of the post; that is, it is of substantially V-shape in cross section. It has sides I! that flare backwardly from an arched front apex I8. The rear portions of the sides ll of the member contact the sides of the posts. Each member is secured to a post by bolts [9 or other suitable fasteners on the side facing trafiic only, the fasteners being near the rear edge of the member.

The other side of the member is left free to slide backwardly on the other side of the post. The edge of the free side of the member may be outturned as a lip 20 as shown in Fig. 6 to facilitate its rearward movement, the edge of one of the sides of the member may be formed with a lapped strengthening rib 2| as shown in Fig. 7, and the edges of both sides may be formed with such ribs as shown in Fig. 8.

The spring member l6 has transverse and substantially horizontal slots 22 in its apex spaced in accordance with the desired vertical spacing of the cables. The slots may be formed by cutting the metal along spaced substantially parallel horizontal lines and vertically at the crest of the arch, and then bending the metal between the spaced cuts inwardly as tongues 23 that lap in their free end portions and extend from ends of the slots. The tongues that extend from the side facing trafiic lap outside of the complementary tongues.

The cables are disposed in the slots outside of the tongues, against which they may bear, and where they are retained by a key 24, which is positioned inside of the unslotted portions of the arch and outside of the cables. The cables are free to slide longitudinally in the slots on the tongues.

The spring member i6 is so formed, proportioned, and tensioned with relation to the post that it straddles the latter when one of its sides is fixed to one side of the post, its other side is held by spring tension against the other side of the post, and the tongues 23 normally are offset from the front of the post.

When a moving vehicle collides with a guard structure formed in accordance with this invention, the offset front of the member IS on a post yields both inwardly and laterally with respect to the post, the attached side of the member bends toward the post in its outer portion, and the other side slides rearwardly on the flaring opposite side of the post. The yielding and shock absorbing movement in the member is against both the tendency of the attached side of the member to resist bending and the opposite side of the member to resist sliding and spreading movement on the other side of the post. The tongues 23, and thus the cables, are spaced normally from the post the distance required in ordinarily circumstances to absorb an impact shock before the tongues come into contact with the post. When a shock stress on the structures ceases, the parts that have been displaced from normal return to normal in response to spring action of the members I6.

I claim:

1. A post having sides flaring from its front toward the rear, and a fiat spring metal member of cross section similar to that of the post, said member comprising sides in contact with sides of the post, being offset in its front'from the front of the post, having one of its sides attached to a side of the post, and the other side of said member being free to slide rearwardly on the other side of the post, and means on the front of said member to retain a guard rail normally offset from the front of the post. I

2. A post having sides flaring from its front toward the rear, and a flat spring metal member of cross section similar to that of the post, said member comprising sides in contact with sides of the post, being oifset in its front from the front of the post, having one of its sides attached to a side of the post, the other side of the member being free to slide rearwardly on the other side of the post, and there being a slot in the front of the member in which a guard rail is disposable, tongues extending from opposite ends of the slot and therein lapping each other in position normally offset from the front of the post, and means to retain a guard rail in the slot.

3. In a road guard structure, upstanding posts having sides flaring from the front toward the rear, and flat spring metal members of cross section similar to that of said posts, said members each comprising sides in contact with sides of a post, being offset at its front from the front of said post, having one of its sides attached to the side of said post facing traffic, the other side of said'member being free to slide rearwardly on the other side of said post, and there being slots in the front of said member, tongues extending from opposite ends of the slots and therein lapping each other in position normally offset from the front of the post, guard rails in said slots outside of said tongues, and means to retain said rails in said slots.

4. A member of flat spring metal formed to substantially V-shape cross section for mounting a guard rail on a post, said member comprising sides flaring rearwardly from a front apex, there being a transverse slot in the front of said member, tongues of the member material extending from opposite ends of the slot and therein lapping each other inside of the apex, and means to retain a guard rail in the slot against said tongues.

ALEXANDER F. BLESSING. 

